We drove a $50,000 Ford Mustang GT and an $86,000 Chevy Corvette GS to see which we liked better — here’s the verdict

From this pugnacious premise, I figured I could explore which of my two most favorite American sports cars offered the best experience, taking into account that my ‘Stang came with a six-speed manual while the GS had an eight-speed automatic and also that the Mustang was a hardtop while the Vette was a convertible. No matter, really, as I’ve driven automatic ‘Stangs with droptops and sampled the available seven-speed stick in hardtop Vette.

From this pugnacious premise, I figured I could explore which of my two most favorite American sports cars offered the best experience, taking into account that my 'Stang came with a six-speed manual while the GS had an eight-speed automatic and also that the Mustang was a hardtop while...